News in brief

Merchants shut shops in protest over sales tax

Merchants in Tehran's main market shut their shops yesterday in protest at a new 3% sales tax, despite the government promising to suspend it for two months. Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, ordered the levy to be suspended for two months last Thursday, a day after a rare strike by merchants against the measure. A series of merchant strikes helped lead to the 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled the shah. Ahmadinejad faces a re-election battle next year and yesterday a first challenger emerged in the form of Mehdi Karroubi, a reformist, cleric and former speaker of parliament. Associated Press, Tehran

Vote includes referendum on old nuclear plant

Two populist parties appeared poised for a strong showing yesterday in parliamentary elections that could usher in a governing coalition aligned more closely with Russia than Europe. The vote also features a referendum on whether to keep a flawed, Soviet-era nuclear plant operating beyond its scheduled closure. The Chernobyl-style reactor's design flaws concerns EU members, who insist that it be closed in December 2009. Many Lithuanians claim that shutting down the Ignalina plant, which gives them energy independence, will leave them vulnerable to Russia, an unreliable energy supplier. Associated Press, Vilnius